Conversation With a Manager

So ... this is the signoff for season two of our podcast. Thanks to all of our listeners and season two guests. We will be taking a little hiatus before returning with a new season three. So in the meantime, keep us in your respective queues and continue to tell friends about our podcast. Word of mouth is our best way to grow listenership. And thanks for listening. https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

This week we are sharing an unheard bonus segment from Betsy Hagan's interview with Cheryl Fitch [S2/E6]. In this bonus track we hear Cheryl suggesting that since team members need have different career needs as their tenure grows, managers need to alter their approach to career coaching to address these different needs. She takes us on a journey through her own career and how managers successfully guided her on that journey. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

On occasion a manager will have the opportunity to hire someone onto the team for whom the job is their very first full-time role. Orienting these newly minted team members is just a little different then hiring new team members with plenty of work experience. In this bonus episode Kristen Slavish offers some thoughts on how to best on-board these kinds of folks and make their first professional experience an engaging and productive one. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

One essential conversation managers must have with their team members is the "what's expected of me?" conversation, where the manager and the team member develop a mutual understanding of what the team member and the team must accomplish. Sometimes those conversations can get a little lazy, assumptions are made and inferences are unspoken, leading to misunderstanding about goals and goal achievement. In this episode our guest Jakada Imani points out the pitfalls when goals clarity is not achieved ... a kind of warning or reminder to all of us to be as explicit as possible when setting goals. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

In prep for each podcast we ask our guests to talk about the best managers they have had in their career. Our guest today Dan Wargolet spoke of two managers and how these two helped shape him as a manager of others. In one case that managers shared a technique called "banks of the river" to help team members understand the boundries of their decision rights and form the basis for empowering those team members. We thought this metaphor might help guide you in your attempts to successfully empower others. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

In a world where the phrase "the customer is always right" often rules, managers can be caught in the difficult situation when a customer or client is acting inappropriately with one of their team members. Hopefully those listening to this podcast will not face this kind of moment. But if you do, our guest Kelsey Behringer offers some sound advise on how to navigate this kind of situation. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

A long and unfinished debate has gone on for decades about the distinction between managing and leading. In this bonus episode our guest JD Cox offers his view on this topic. While the primary focus of this podcast is on the role of a manager, we have have drifted now and again into the topic of leadership. JD believes it is important for a manager to display certain leadership qualities at critical moments of interaction with their team members. He outlines his thoughts for us here along with some outstanding, personal examples. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

One of the most common challenges managers will often speak to is the challenge of managing former peers. Peer relationships are often adjanent to friendships. And while managers and their former peers can maintain friendships, the inherent power dynamic between manager and their team members changes the interpersonal landscape.In this bonus episode Steven Hansen explores lessons he learned to make this transitional relationship work for both parties. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

We first met Matt Grzybowski in the first episode of this second season where he spoke to the importance of influence skills for managers. In this episode we tap an unheard portion of our interview with Matt where he explores the importance of communicating to team members, particularly new team members, exactly what customers and clients will expect of them. He frames this as clarifying service level agreements to a level of detail that leaves no doubt what is expected and what will be delivered. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Ever wonder what it would be like to really unplug from the managerial job when your on vacation? Shawnee Paren did more than wonder. She has found a handful of techniques to both prepare for time off so you can really take time off and not be overwhelmed upon your return. In this episode Shawnee shares those techniques and her journey towards peaceful and productive time off. We first met Shawnee in episode two of this second season. In that episode Shawnee offered some wonderful insights into how to translate organziational values into day-to-day behaviors. Its a grea listen if you have not gotten to it yet. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

This week we are sharing an unheard bonus segment from Betsy Hagan's interview with Cheryl Fitch [S2/E6]. In this bonus track we hear Cheryl explore the challenges of "firing" a team member. Nearly every long tenured manager will face this difficult task, whether someone's job is ending due to poor performance, cause, or a reduction in force. Cheryl offers some important thoughts on how to handle this situation ... both for the person being let go and for the manager themselves.Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

In this, our final episode of season two, we speak with Jakada Imani about the symbiotic relationship between commitment to team members to reach their personal best in a manner that is joyful and fulfilling while simultaneously meeting all productivity goals. There is nothing mutually exclusive about these twin goals and Jakada drives home this point with clarity and enthusiasm. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

How does a manager adjust to the multiple personalities on their teams [or on other teams] ... particularly disagreeable personalities?Our guest Rob Willis suggests it begins first with knowing one's self; second successfully "reading the room" to assess the value each person brings to a situation; and thirdly leveraging those varied values for the benefit of any task at hand. Rob's story of successfully working with someone who sees the world differently than him [in this case a "glass half full personality"] is a highlight of the interview. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Conversations with a Manager: Stories from the Frontlines will return with new episodes after the holiday season starting Jan. 8th. Wishing you all a happy new year and hope you join us on the 8th for the conclusion of season two and many season two bonus episodes. David, Steve, Betsy, and ArtellOur Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

This last year has seen the introduction of easy access for all of us to generative AI tools. How can managers best use these new tools to improve their performance and the performance of others? Our guest Kelsey Behringer explores this question suggesting where AI can be best applied to the work of a manager [currently] and where it is not yet ready to be applied. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Some of us like clear processes and lots of boundaries when we attack a task. Others of us like elbow room to be creative and try out new ideas and new approaches when we work. In recognition of these differences our guest Steven Hansen feels managers need to display their own version of creativity, adjusting their management styles to the different styles of those on their teams ... and encouraging the creativity of others whenever possible. Artell Smith explores these angles on creativity in this interview, so enjoy the exploration. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Can mangers ignore the lives of team members outside of work and expect to build a fruitful relationship with thoses folks? Our guest JD Cox says "no". He believes that when a manager shows they care about the "whole person" ... the person at work and the person outside of work ... they build a reservoir of good will that pays dividends to both the team member and the organization. This is not about managers inserting themselves into the personal lives of team members, but is it about checking in and taking interest. And JD has some thoughts on how to take productive steps in this direction. And if you enjoy this episode you might want to check out our episide two of this second season. In that episode manager Shawnee Parens speaks to how vision and purpose gets translated into managerial behaviors ... similar to how JD speaks to manager behaviors that display caring. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Often when we think of the role of a manager we focus on the relationship between the manager and their team members. But managers plays a larger role as they also interacting with customers, senior organizational leaders, and their peers. In fact, managers are often the glue that connects employees, customer, and the wider organization. This is their role as "networker" and the best managers know how to play this role well. Our guest Cheryl Fitch offers her insights into the "manager as networker" and tips on how to be successful at it. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Is a manager responsible for creating a "fun" workplace? It probably depends on your definition of "fun". Our guest Devin Thorson and host Artell Smith toss around the notion of fun workplaces and unpack what they feel are a manager's legitimate role in building an environment of engaging [fun?] productivity. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

One activity manager typically enjoy handling is the promotion of team members to new roles. But this common managerial activity needs to be handled with care, with thought given to timing, the use of feedback from others, orientation to new responsibilities, and consideration of those who might have wanted a promotion, but did not get it. Our guest Dan Wargolet talks with Steve King around these and other issues related to promoting team members. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

So many of our teams, as the result of covid, moved to becoming virtual teams. As the threat of covid lifted many teams morphed into hybrid teams [sometimes in the worplace, sometimes not ... some team members in the workplace, some team members not]. These new arrangements provide managers unique managerial challenges and opportunities. Our guest Kristin Slavish reflects on hybrid teams before covid and how new versions of hybrid teams might be best managed. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Most organizations have stated/published values the define who the organization is to their customers and employees. But these values only have meaning if they are present in the daily behaviors of team members. Our guest Shawnee Parens offers us insights into how a manager can make stated values come alive by embedding them into "obseverable" personal and team behaviors. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Often the quality of the work of one team is impacted by the quality of the work of another team ... a team downstream in the supply chain. How can a manager effectively influence a downstream team to up their game and improve the quality of their work? This is question our guest Matt Grzybowski discusses with host Steve King. It is an age old challenge of how to influence without direct authority and Matt offers some great insights on how to handle these kinds of situations. Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

This week we are sharing an unheard bonus segment from our intervew with Ivy Mantua [S1/E8]. Ivy manages mulitiple teams so she juggles her attention between them. In this bonus track we hear about three challenges ... (1) dealing with different team personalities; (2) the value of sometimes bringing team together; (3) the value of having team leaders who can carry some of the managerial load. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

This week we are dropping an unheard bonus segment from Betsy Hagan's intervew with Binnu Palta Hill [S1/E10] as she talks about her challenge in transitioning into a manager role. One challenge she addresses if the fear of losing control since she had to suddenly rely on others rather than just handling the work herself. Another is the realization is that her world view was different than others and that difference [hers and theirs] had to be taken into account. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

This week we are dropping an unheard bonus segment from our intervew with Shelley Clinger [S1/E6]. I asked Shelley to tell me about the best manager she ever had and she told us a story about this special individual who mastered what I might call the "gentle/firm" approach to building new team. Gentle/firm might seem like a contradiction of sorts, but Shelley makes that case this balancing act yeilds great returns. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

In this bonus episode we return to our season one's final recap episode [E11] to enjoy an unheard segment with Betsy Hagan and Artell Smith with their thoughts on managers giving feedback to others.

Often when someone takes on their new role as manager they have been promoted they were excellent individual contributors ... they were good at what they did. So sometimes there is a tendency for these new managers to "over direct" they're team members since they know how to do the work. This week we are dropping an unheard bonus segment from our intervew with Michele Kasier [S1/E1] as she talks about her tendency to do just that in her first managerial role and how that didn't really work for her or her staff. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Since change is a multi-faceted topic we find ourselves returning to it in this podcast, each looking at it from a different angle. In this unheard outtake from Betsy Hagan's interview with Becky Kirgan [S1:E3], Becky offers up some thoughts on why some folks are deathly afraid of change how a manager might team members fearing change through that fear.Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Can broken trust between a manager and one of their team members be repaired?In this unheard outtake from my interview with Lawrence Henderson [S1:E5], Lawrence shares why he believes it can when both parties are committed to that repair. He tells us a story about when he got sideways with one of his managers and how the two of them rebuilt that relationship, one step at a time. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Managers are often challenged with a kind of paradox ... manage teams members the same [without favor] or manage team members differently [acknowledging everyone unique capabilities]. In this unheard outtake from my interview with April Gingras [S1:E4], April offers us some insights via a great story on how she has managed this paradox. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Season One is a wrap! In this last episode of the podcast Steve and Betsy have invited their friend and author Artell Smith to offer their collective perspectives on this first season. Four specific episodes from this first season are discussed in depth with some references here and there to other episodes as well. We hope these additional insights will add a few new ideas and techniques to our listener's managerial tool box.Season Two of our podcast will return later this year. In the meantime we will be publishing bonus episodes starting June 26th and dropping every other week. This bonus material is drawn from the interviews with our season one guests ... previously unheard segments from those interviews. These bonus episodes will be shorter than our regular episodes, with no commentary at the end of episode. But we hope these bonus episodes will continue to whet your appetite for valuable advice on how to be a great manager.Our friend Artell Smith's new book is titled "No Time to Waste: Microbehaviors: Leverging the Little Things to Become a Better Leader" ... available on Amazon and plenty of other book distributors. Its a great book. Go out and get yourself one. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Evidence suggests that employee engagement, on the whole, is on the decline in our workplaces. But this in not necessarily true where managers are equiped with perspectives, behaviors, and techniques that create psychologically safe and inclusive environments. Binnu and Betsy explore what it takes to create this kind of environment and reap the benefits of not only engaged team members but improved performance and productivity.Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Managers can find themselves in situations where they know something that their members are not yet expected to know. How does a manager handle this delicate balance between being authentic and holding a confidence ... particularly when rumors are flying. Nathan Plenshek discusses this difficult situation and offers valuable perspective on how to handle it. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

What happens when a new team member is given a collection of complex responsibilities? This can be a formula for frustration and worry on part of a new team member unless their manager has a thoughtful way of easing the team member into mastering the complexity. Our guest Ivy Mantua shares her approach to this challenge which she calls "gradual development". And along the way she also offers some thoughts on the mastery of technical or functional skills. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

What is a like to receive difficult feedback?Our guest Kathleen Finis lays out the impact receiving difficult feedback has on individuals and how managers can use this insight to craft feedback that is both heard and acted on. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

What is it like to manage multiple intercultural teams at the same time?Our guest Shelley Clinger has successfully navigated this tricky challenge and offers her perspectives on how not only to coordinate global team activities, but actually integrate global team activities to leverage the best from every team.Two assessments were mentioned in this episode. Here are the websites where you can find more information about both assessents.IDI Inventory: https://idiinventory.com/Thomas Kilmann conflict mode Instrument: https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/TKIOur website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Our guest Lawrence Henderson is disturbed when team members begin “finger-pointing” when things go wrong rather than taking responsibility for their own shortcomings. Lawrence shares his lessons learned about how to best deal with those moments.Jennifer Wilson of New Leaf Consulting and Coaching and author of the book “Waking Up to Your Worth: Ten Touchstones for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome” joins Steve in the debriefing of Lawrence's remarks.Our Website ... https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fmJen's Website: http://consultnewleaf.com/Jen's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Your-Worth-Touchstones-Overcoming/dp/1735756105

Our guest April Gingras tells the story of being a new manager and having to deal with an underperforming team member. The story is complete with multiple lessons learned by April about how to best deal with this kind of situation and how best not to.Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Our guest Becky Kirgan worries about the impact of change fatigue on teams facing uncertain, ill-defined change. Becky shares some strategies for minimizing this fatigue and helping those kinds of change efforts along.Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Our guest John Stefanik was 19 years old when he agreed to take on his first manager role … supervising others twice his age and significantly more experienced. John offers advice and counsel for other managers in a similar situation.Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Should a manager be responsible for finding mentors for their team members? Our guest Michele Kaiser thinks the answer is "yes". Michele outlines her reasons for "yes" and offers tips on how to go about finding those mentors. Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm

Hi. This is Steve King, and this is Conversation with a Manager: Stories from the Frontline. Along with my colleague Betsy Hagan and our producer David Blindauer, our podcast explores the common and sometimes uncommon challenges facing today's managers in the workplace. Our proposition is simple. Managers, particularly frontline managers, play an oversized role in the productivity of an organization and the engagement of team members. So, a manager's successful performance makes a ton of difference. We are defining managers as anyone with responsibilities to look after the performance of others. It is an evolving role … impacted by new technologies, hybrid work arrangements, and generational differences. While some might find the notion of management a bit old-fashioned, it remains an integral part of the business landscape. There are plenty of managers out there and plenty of new ones every day.This is a podcast for managers, by managers. Betsy and I have over fifty years of experience as managers between us. We have written extensively on the topic of management, and we have taught literally thousands of managers in classroom, online, and seminar settings. And I can assure you we have learned as much in those settings from managers as we have shared. In each episode we will visit with a successful manager we have met and hear their stories and the lessons they have learned from their years of experience. We expect you'll find their stories and insights useful and applicable right away back on the job. We intend to keep the podcast short and sweet, around 20 minutes, so you can fit them into your commute, lunch break, or while you're making dinner.So, please join us in a … conversation with a manager.